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Russians, two U.S. duos lead dance at JGP Final

Yanovskaia, Mozgov run first; Hawayek, Baker pull into second place

Posted 12/7/13 by International Skating Union
The top three junior teams after the short dance (L-R): Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker of the U.S. in second, Anna Yanovskaia and Sergei Mozgov of Russia in first and Americans Lorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter in third. -Renee Felton

Anna Yanovskaia and Sergei Mozgov of Russia took the lead in the short dance at the 2013 Junior Grand Prix Final, with two U.S. couples -- Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, and Lorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter -- following in second and third, respectively.

Yanovskaia and Mozgov's quickstep to "Puttin' On the Ritz" and foxtrot to "Fever" featured Level 4 twizzles and a Level 4 lift. The 2012 Junior Grand Prix Final champions posted a new personal-best score with 63.71 points.

"It went well, and I'm very much satisfied with today's performance," Yanovskaia said. "We had some mistakes, but basically it went well. The audience cheered us up a lot and that was so nice."

Dancing to "Happy Feet," "It Had To Be You" and "Sing, Sing, Sing," Hawayek and Baker completed two Level 4 elements, but one quickstep pattern was rated only a Level 1. The team scored 58.05 points.

"We were thrilled with our performance today," Hawayek said. "We thought it was our best performance this season. It was strong and energetic, and we harnessed the crowd. We put out a very solid performance and had a great time while we were skating. We are very thankful for the Japanese crowd."

"We agreed after we finished that we left everything on the ice," Baker added. "You can't control the points, and so we are happy with where we are at."

McNamara and Carpenter picked "Bublichki" for their foxtrot and "Chiribim, Chiribom" for their quickstep. They collected a Level 4 for the twizzles and the lift while the Quickstep sequences garnered a Level 3 and Level 2. The Americans earned 55.14 points.

"We both really enjoyed our performance today, and the audience was wonderful," Carpenter said. "We felt strong and clean. We are hoping to maintain that feeling going into tomorrow."

"It was a lot of fun skating and performing for this great audience," McNamara said. "They are really enthusiastic about skating."